A 30 Year Loan Should Need More Than a Coin Flip. HB 238 Raises the School Bond Bar.

A school bond is a 30 year loan. Right now in Texas, half the voters plus one can sign every homeowner up for it. HB 238 says that is not enough.

Plain English

State Rep. Andy Olcott filed House Bill 238 in Austin today, November 9, 2026.

It changes one number. To pass a school district bond, and the property tax that pays it back, a district would need three fifths of the votes. That is 60 percent. Today it takes a simple majority.

It does not touch every school tax. The bill keeps the tax in Education Code Section 45.002 at a simple majority. The higher bar is for bonds and the tax that repays them.

There is a catch. The bill only takes effect if Texas voters also approve a constitutional amendment raising the threshold. If voters say no, HB 238 does nothing. If voters say yes, it starts January 1, 2028, and only for bond elections ordered after that date.

Why it matters

Bond elections in Texas are often low turnout. Many land in May. A small slice of a district can decide debt that every property owner pays for decades, including the widow on a fixed income and the young couple who just bought their first house.

A bond is not a bake sale. It is a lien on the future. When the people who show up are a fraction of the people who pay, the bar should be higher than a coin flip.

That is the argument for HB 238. You do not have to agree with it to see why it matters.

The receipt

FACT: HB 238 (90th Legislature, Regular Session) by Olcott was filed November 9, 2026. Caption: "Relating to increasing the threshold of voter approval for a school district bond election." Source: Texas Legislature Online bill history and introduced text.

FACT: The bill amends Education Code Section 45.003(a). Bonds under Section 45.001 "may not be issued" and the taxes for them "may not be levied unless authorized by three-fifths" of the qualified voters voting at the election. It replaces "a majority."

FACT: New Subsection (a-1) keeps the Section 45.002 tax at "a majority of the qualified voters."

FACT: Section 3 of the bill says it takes effect January 1, 2028, "but only if the constitutional amendment proposed by the 90th Legislature" raising the threshold is approved by voters.

FACT: Article VII, Section 3(e) of the Texas Constitution currently says a majority of the qualified voters voting shall approve the school tax. That is why this needs an amendment.

FACT: Olcott filed the same idea twice in 2025. HB 68 in the first special session (filed July 14, 2025) and HB 275 with House Joint Resolution 31 in the second special session (filed August 20, 2025). The official history for all three shows one action: filed. No hearing. No vote.

NEEDS AUTHENTICATION: As of this writing I have not found the 2027 joint resolution on file to go with HB 238. Without it, the bill has nothing to trigger it. Watch for it.

What Ryan says

RYAN STATEMENT: I am for good schools. I am for paying teachers. I am for safe buildings. I am also for the people who pay the note.

When a district asks for a loan that runs longer than most mortgages, it should have to win real agreement. Sixty percent is not a wall. Good bonds clear it. Bonds that explain the price, show the plan, and earn trust clear it.

What bothers me is the history. This bill has been filed twice already and never got a hearing. Not a yes. Not a no. Just silence.

If the House thinks this is a bad idea, say so in a hearing, on the record, with a vote. If it is a good idea, pass it and let the voters decide on the amendment. Either way, the people deserve a vote on whether their vote counts at 50 or 60.

That is all I am asking for. Hear it. Vote it. Put it on the ballot.

What this does not prove

It does not prove any East Texas bond was wasteful. It does not prove any district misled voters. It does not prove HB 238 will pass, get a hearing, or even get its companion resolution. And it does not prove 60 percent is the right number. Reasonable people can land at a majority or at two thirds.

What it does prove

It proves the 60 percent idea is back for 2027, filed on day one of prefiling. It proves current Texas law lets a bare majority of those who vote approve school bond debt. And it proves the last two versions died without a single hearing.

Bottom line

A 30 year loan should need more than a coin flip. Same voters, higher bar. Give it a hearing. Give it a vote. Then give it to the people.

This is the record.

Do not threaten anyone. Do not harass anyone. Do not contact anyone in my name. Read it. Share it. Send receipts, evidence, witnesses. Put eyes on the record.